a/n: Hi! My first fic starring everyone's favorite plumber! (I think he has a brother too...not quite as memorable, he wears red, I believe... ;) Can't really explain this one, other than to say I had this image of Luigi that I couldn't get out of my head and it was just too cute to resist. I may have to draw it at some point...

Thanks to Child At Heart Forever, who read through this story and offered some very welcome suggestions, and also Usami, whose story "A Work of Art" propelled me to write this when it was just a thought I'd put on the back burner. Thank you both so much! Everyone, please do read their work, it's fabulous!

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario. Mario owns me...every time I play against him in baseball...sigh.

Luigi glanced over at the beautiful girl that sat beside him on the blanket, and he nervously fumbled with one of its corners as he tried to think of something clever to say to her. The remains of the picnic lunch they had just shared on the meadows just beyond the Mushroom Kingdom lay scattered across the surface of the cloth as well, but he did not feel energetic enough to put them away. Besides, Princess Daisy commanded his full attention and he could not take his eyes off of her, until they traitorously began to slide closed on their own, the warm sun and his comfortably full stomach doing their best to lull him to sleep. Without him even realizing it, his head drooped forward and he nodded off.

Daisy chuckled softly as she watched Luigi drift off to sleep. He had just come back a few days ago from an adventure with his brother Mario, so she knew he needed the rest. It was part of the reason that she had invite him to go on a picnic with her; so that he could have a chance to just relax and recuperate from whatever dangers and injuries he may have suffered on his journey. She imagined that Princess Peach had invited Mario over to the castle for a similar reason. Of course, Daisy also enjoyed just spending time with Luigi, even if he was completely out of it for a part of that time. And he looked so cute while he was sleeping…

There was something about Luigi that she found so endearing, especially now with the peaceful, dreamy expression on his face. His soft, rhythmic breaths ruffled his mustache, further adding to the impression that he didn't have a care in the world... or at least, not while he slept. Daisy sighed in deep contentment herself, just happy to be alive and to have this man at her side. A timid, nervous man, yes…but she had no doubt that he cared about her. He was unpretentious, considerate and, in her eyes, the perfect man for her.

She toyed with one of the daisies that dotted the meadow while she thought about Luigi, just looking at the small flower and debating plucking its petals to see if it would agree that Luigi loved her…not that she was the type to follow a flower's recommendations for her love life. Absently looping its stem around her slender fingers as she continued to watch him, she suddenly laughed with delight as a new idea came to her mind. It was something she had not done since she was a little girl…and with Luigi asleep there would never be a more perfect moment. Nor could she think of a more perfect way to show her claim on his heart.

Rising quietly so as not to disturb him, she wandered off to gather some more of the flowers, an impish spark gleaming in her eyes. She worked quickly, trying hard to put her plan into action before he woke up. If she knew her Luigi, his reaction to her scheme would be just too much fun to resist and she couldn't wait to see how he would respond to what she intended to do to him.

Luigi stirred and blinked bleary eyes, wondering why he felt so disoriented. He had been on a picnic with Daisy…Daisy! Had he fallen asleep in the middle of their date? That was hardly the right impression to make on a woman he cared about! He only hoped that she hadn't been talking to him while he had dozed off. She'd probably never forgive him if he had done that to her.

He tried to sit up with the intent of apologizing profusely for not paying her the attention she deserved, when he realized he could not move his arms. They seemed to be bound together with some kind of rope, driving him further into a panic. Had he and Daisy been captured? If some enemy had chanced upon their date while he had been napping and neglecting to protect the desert princess…how could he ever face her again if he had allowed her to be kidnapped? How could he ever live with himself if something happened to her?

He began to struggle wildly against the bonds when gentle hands clamped over his shoulders and a soft voice whispered in his ear, "Calm down, sweetie. Do you really want to destroy all of my hard work?"

His eyes widened at the sound of the other person's voice, and for the first time he looked up at his captor. Daisy sat serenely in front of him, looping daisies together to form a chain. Glancing down at himself, he saw that the bonds restraining him were those same strands formed of the delicate flowers, wrapped around his arms and legs and tying his hands together. His eyes sought the princess out, confusion filling his gaze. Daisy grinned at him in response and wound her newly formed chain around his body, further ensnaring him in the flowers that represented her.

"I've taken you prisoner for the rest of the day," she informed him playfully as she leaned forward and kissed him on the nose. "Do you mind?"

It took him a moment to realize—even with her sitting right in front of him safe and unharmed—that she was the one who had captured him, not some enemy bent on hurting the princess or using her to manipulate him. Relief, though, soon gave way to bewilderment and fear of a different sort. It may not have been an enemy that had him, but Luigi still felt vulnerable. He did not know what Daisy had planned and that had him more worried than he was willing to admit, even to himself. With Bowser or the other enemies he'd fought against at least he knew what their intentions were when they captured him! Luigi did not know what to expect with Daisy, but he cared so much about her and he didn't want to hurt her by not at least attempting to play along. He tugged experimentally at the "chains" she had used to bind him. He could probably break them easily, but did he really want to?

His confused mind groped wildly for some idea of how to escape with dignity intact, but only one distressing thought came to mind. He stuttered, "But-but Mario—"

What if his brother came along and caught him like this? Mario would never find himself in this type of predicament. (For one thing, the princess he loved was too proper to even consider doing something of this nature to him.) What would he think of Luigi getting himself in such a position? Luigi groaned with embarrassment at even the thought of Mario seeing him like this. His brother would probably fall over laughing at the sight…

Daisy laughed easily, deliberately misinterpreting his fear. "Oh, you expect Mario to play the hero and come to your rescue? Don't worry, I've been working on my evil Bowser laugh for just such an occasion! Or," she added with a wicked smile, rubbing her dainty, gloved hands together, "I could just whisk you away to my castle, lock you up in my tower and let him wear himself out looking for you…" Daisy was enjoying herself far too much, Luigi noted with dismay.

The fresh scent of the daisies mingled with the floral fragrance of the perfume she wore, the heady mix making him light-headed, or it might just have been from having Daisy so close to him. Was it only an hour or so ago that he felt comfortable enough around her to let his guard down and fall asleep in the middle of their picnic? Now it only took the scent of the flowers she had wrapped him in to make his heart pound in his chest. He did not understand what had happened to cause that change in such a short time and he gave up trying to figure out the jumble of emotions that had replaced that ease he had felt before. His face flamed and he stammered an incoherent response, which the woman graciously accepted as his surrender.

With a sigh, Daisy's prisoner resigned himself to whatever fate the Princess had in store for him. Watching her deftly twining more fragile flowers together, though, Luigi found that he might not mind this captivity after all.